Ranjan Solomon is a widely experienced civil society/human rights/GO leader with varied experiences in organizational transformation and creating social change through advocacy, communications, and issues of education. His main areas of focus in his 40+ years of professional involvements have been on issues of development, justice, peace, and human rights. He also specializes in providing advice and support to organizations working in conflict situations. His consultancy – BADAYL (Arabic for ‘Alternatives’) provides support to Organizational Development processes, Strategic Planning, Re-visioning processes, Organizational and Project Evaluations/Assessments. It also supports organizations to develop Policy papers/Research projects.

Working experiences:
YMCA

1.Work with Bangladesh refugees in border districts of West Bengal (1971-1972)

Bangalore YMCA (1975-1979) – Youth work with focus on social change, leadership for school children from disempowered economic groups, Adult literacy project, Community Organization in a Dalit village.

Hyderabad YMCA (1979-1982) – Rural development in cyclone affected villages (28 villages), a youth empowerment programme in 11 slums of Hyderabad area, and an orphanage for 27 boys in Secunderabad.

Asia-Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, (1982-1985) Hong Kong – Served as Executive for Justice and Development, responsible for a region-wide Development Education Programme accompanied by support to empowerment oriented projects to the rural-urban poor utilizing the Asia YMCA Development Fund. Administered the above fund which disbursed anything between US $ 250000- 300000- a year.

World Alliance of YMCAs (1986-1992), and 1996-2002.
– Executive for Justice, Development, and Human Rights (1986-1992)
– Executive for Mission, Ecumenical Concerns, and Inter-religious dialogue (1996-2002)
– Additional responsibility for Communications of the World Alliance of YMCAs (1988-1992 and 1996-1998)

National Council of YMCAs- Training and Research Centre (1992-2005)
Director of the National Training Centre
– Trained two groups of Ecumenical youth workers from the YMCA and SCM in a one-year Post-graduate diploma in Youth work. A total number of 51 were trained.
– Trained 7 groups of Senior YMCA Secretaries in Continuing Education (Advanced Training)
– Three Management Development Programmes-Research on:a) “National level research on “Communalism – challenges to youth”
b) Street Children – Issues and tasks for the YMCA
c) Community Organization and Social Analysis
d) YMCA as an ecumenical Movement- Historical perspectives from Asia
e)Women, Communalism and Fundamentalism

ECOT organized ‘Rallying Base’ at the World Social Forum 2004, 2005, 2013, successfully networking social movements, Workers, Indigenous Peoples. The result was a broadening of ECOT’s base for action as well as a way of mainstreaming tourism issues into the work of other sectors.

Ongoing consultancy work

Consultant, Council for Social Justice and Peace, Archdiocese of Goa for human rights – includes work with coastal communities to oppose the negative impacts of tourism (2006-ongoing). The task includes organizing sectors and communities across the Goa coast to oppose negative impacts of tourism and creating alternatives in tourism that respects standards of justice and human rights, child rights, eco-justice, gender justice, enhancing livelihood options.

Consultant, Alternative Tourism Group, Palestine(2009-ongoing)

Consultant-Trainer for courses on ‘Advocacy and Networking’ for civil society groups in India

Founder and Advisor, Inter-Faith Dialogue for Life – a justice movement of people seeking inter-religious partnerships for dialogue for social action (2006-ongoing)

Advice and mobilization of Muslim minorities with focus on livelihoods for the Goa especially with Meat Traders Association/minority rights of Muslims in Goa/ and national level.

Member, National Inter-faith Commission on Policy, Governance and Public Witness on “Violence against Christians and Muslims in India” for the period 2013- 2015

Consultant for programme on Identity, Diversity and Dialogue for The World Student Christian Federation Asia-Pacific Region ( WSCF-AP) ( on going)

Formulation of Code of Ethics/ Organizational Protocol and Principles for The World Student Christian Federation Asia-Pacific Region (WSCF AP) (ongoing)

Main responsibilities:

To draw up and implement effective communications strategies using the web and other means of communications

To liaise with the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel to draw up a coherent theme and strategy for the annual observations as the launching pad for ongoing campaigning and advocacy. Issues covered include: Settlements, Justice for Jerusalem, Displacement and dispossession, Water apartheid, Separation barrier

To develop strategic initiatives with the human rights networks and other external bodies in the United Nations, and civil society to profile the Palestinian issue is maintained as a global justice question.

An evaluation-re-envisioning exercise of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI) of the World Council of Churches in 2009-2010 in Palestine. The process involved a comprehensive re-examination of the vision, mission, and strategies of the programme at all levels of its operation.

Consultant, Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), Goa Unit (2007-2009) – The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) is a collective of lawyers and social activists dedicated to the use of the legal system to advance human rights in India and the sub-continent. It collaborated with human rights groups, and grass-roots development and social movements to enforce the rights of poor marginalized people and to challenge oppression, exploitation and discrimination against any group or individual on the grounds of caste, gender, disability, age, religion, language, ethnic group, sexual orientation, and health, economic or social status. HRLN provided pro bono legal services, conducts public interest litigation, engages in advocacy, conducts legal awareness programmes, and investigates violations.

Convener, Peoples Collective on HIV-AIDS in Goa (2006-2009) – Created and advised a statewide network in addressing issues of HIV-AIDS with a human rights perspective.

Consultant to ‘Jan Ugahi’ – a Child Rights organization based in Goa 2006-2008 on organizational matters. Jan Ugahi, means People’s Realization, Awakening & Development works with street children, children in difficult circumstances, rural and urban poor, domestic workers, victims of abuse, exploitation, domestic violence. It also engaged with the National Campaign against Child Trafficking, the National CHILDLINE Network/Helpline for children in distress, State NGO Network.

Evaluation of an intervention project in Ingushetia, Russia in 2003. Assisted the project (ARD-Denal) in re-profiling their priorities, approaches, and sharpening their goals/vision. The project, which was supported by ICCO and Cord Aid from the Netherlands, operated in a severely affected conflict situation between Chechnya rebels’ and the Russian army.

Evaluation of an intervention in Malakus Islands, Indonesia– a conflict zone of Indonesia in 2003 where the YEU (Yakkum Emergency Unit) of the church in Indonesia operated a massive relief-rehab-development programme for the people spread across several islands in that country. The evaluation was commissioned by ICCO, Dutch donor agency.

Assisted YEU in a Future Search (Re-envisioning) exercise in 2003 through which they re-defined their vision and goals afresh, revised their strategies and approach, created a distinct working profile in terms of human resource development, community organization tactics, organizational development methods, and for YEU to grow as a learning network

Goan tourism industry marginalizes its small and medium sectors that are always in the informal sectors. The above three groups constitute nearly 3000 employers and a total of over 15,000 workers. Their rights are constantly violated and Badayl supports them in policy planning, making, campaign, advocacy work and lobbying.

Consultant to Atmavishwas, an organization dedicated to work with mentally challenged children. Supported the organization with a Future Search process and development of a Strategic Planning.

Edited YMCA World – the official magazine of the World Alliance of YMCAs.

Edited ‘Contours’– quarterly publication of the ECOT including three dossiers on the tsunami and tourism and a series of publications and dossiers:

Small Islands and Tourism

“Tsunami and the impacts of tourism” – Three dossiers

5-part series in “Perspectives in Tourism’

Compiled Dossiers, Workbooks, for World Level Assemblies of International Organizations.

Co-Edited, Tauz, a Goa Journal on Science-Religion-Society

Edited “Pilgrimages for Transformation” – Report from an International Workshop held in Alexandria, Egypt, in 2004.

Edited ‘Combating dispossession’- Towards a Code of Ethics of Tourism in Palestine